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Friday, February 27, 2009

Where did February go?!

My does time ever fly...We had a great time in Cuba although it all seems in the distant past at this point, sigh.
Kieran was a great traveller, he had no problems with the take-offs and landings, sleeping or nursing through them all. The first couple of days were rather cool (12 degrees C the evening we arrived) but it made for a gradual transition to the warmer climate. It was a bit chilly for swimming but by the end of our trip it was humid and up to about 28 degrees. We didn't do much other than eat, swim, sit around, relax and enjoy each other's company. We did take the bus into Varadero City one morning and walked around a couple of the free markets where they sell all kinds of touristy souvenirs. I can't say that we really got a taste of Cuba as such, we could have been at a resort anywhere else in the world for all we knew! Which is too bad but I think we were all so tired and in need of a vacation that that was not the goal of our trip. We got back home on Friday the 13th without any incidents (!) and Tim had the weekend to recover before going back to work on Monday.

The painters came back that Monday and finished up all the work on Tuesday. We haven't quite gotten everything back in place yet but that should be accomplished this weekend. One of the workmen just came by to clean the floor of paint spatters so all should be good now. We haven't yet picked out a new sink though and Tim is planning on building the vanity himself so let's say, end of March for completion?!

Kieran is now grabbing and holding onto things.

He also sticks his tongue out and does raspberries (or zerberts). Ma tante France will have to get lessons from him!

He's been napping less during the day but sleeps very well at night, sometimes for more than 10 hours, woo hoo!

We missed a couple of swim classes due to the painting and being in Cuba but the last couple of times in the pool, Kieran has actually kicked in the water which he had not done before other than at bath time.

Last week was a busy week of appointments. K got his vaccinations at the CLSC, we had another test at the Children's hospital for his kidneys and we also had a check-up at the paediatrician. We go back for the test results at the hospital on March 23rd but his doctor reassured me there is nothing to worry about. It's really all about monitoring the size of the kidneys and since reflux was ruled out, long-term damage is not a concern.

I'm itching to get outside and be more active physically (I say this as I'm looking out the window and it's pouring rain!) and get rid of a bit of my jiggly belly. Can't wait for spring and warmer weather. As short as February was, I'm thinking March is going to be a loooooooooong month!

Monday, February 02, 2009

Time for a change of scenery

3 more sleeps and we're off to Cuba. And none too soon. It will be nice to get away even if we don't get a chance to put the house back in order before we go.
The work is progressing well. The plasterers managed to do all the necessary repairs in a couple of hours on Thursday and did such a good job there was very little sanding to be done.
That left me free to get out of the house in the afternoon and go and apply for Kieran's social insurance number.

Friday morning, I got the call...Vanessa was home from the hospital! YAY! And she is recovering very well. Now if only her mommy can get better. But it looks promising that we will all be going to Cuba together. It just would not have been the same if it were only our family of three going.

That afternoon I had an appointment at Communauto, a car-sharing service in our city (also available in Sherbrooke, Québec and Gatineau.) I decided to join so now I will be able to get around town a little easier than with public transportation. Taking the bus and métro is fine for some areas but getting to the South Shore to see Cathy and Vanessa or going out to the West Island is not as easy. So now I'm signed up for the requisite year and we will see how it goes.

Saturday morning made Tim a happy man. He finally got his Yamaha piano.
He was all ready to pick a fight with someone at the store as it had been 4 weeks since it had been on order (after first saying they had one in stock, they then discovered it was damaged so they said it would be 10 to 14 days for an order.) Anyhow, when he called, the guy said he was just about to call us to say it was ready for pick up. So Kieran is now set to become a concert pianist! That is, if he choses to be! I certainly hope he will have his father's talent for music. I took about 5 years of guitar lessons when I was young but had absolutely no talent for it. Maybe Uncle P-J will have also passed his musical talent on to Kieran.

We made it out snowshoeing yesterday with our friend Heidi. There's a really nice cross-country ski and snowshoeing trail near her place in St-Eustache, just North of the city and we went out for what we think was about a 5 km trek. The map didn't show the snowshoe trails so we're guessing from the ski trails and the time we were out that that's how far we went! Kieran was hungry when we started off so he was wailing away in my ears but he eventually settled down and I only fed him when we got back to Heidi's. A little bad planning on our part but I figured if he was in the Maman Kangourou carrier he would last more than 2 hours. Apparently not!











At least he is back to his normal length feeding times. He must have been going through a growth spurt last week as he was nursing for up to an hour at times. That was very tiring. Today he's just feeding for a bit and then getting distracted and stopping and playing for a bit then fussing and wanting to feed again. He did that after supper and when I finished feeding him for the second time, he fell fast asleep and has been dead to the world since!

The painters started priming today and will be back in the morning to give a first coat of paint.